scholarly journals Association between behavioral phenotypes and sustained use of smartphones and wearable devices to remotely monitor physical activity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Fendrich ◽  
Mohan Balachandran ◽  
Mitesh S. Patel
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Wearable Device ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Behavioral Phenotypes ◽  
Baseline Activity ◽  
Sustained Use

AbstractSmartphones and wearable devices can be used to remotely monitor health behaviors, but little is known about how individual characteristics influence sustained use of these devices. Leveraging data on baseline activity levels and demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial traits, we used latent class analysis to identify behavioral phenotypes among participants randomized to track physical activity using a smartphone or wearable device for 6 months following hospital discharge. Four phenotypes were identified: (1) more agreeable and conscientious; (2) more active, social, and motivated; (3) more risk-taking and less supported; and (4) less active, social, and risk-taking. We found that duration and consistency of device use differed by phenotype for wearables, but not smartphones. Additionally, “at-risk” phenotypes 3 and 4 were more likely to discontinue use of a wearable device than a smartphone, while activity monitoring in phenotypes 1 and 2 did not differ by device type. These findings could help to better target remote-monitoring interventions for hospitalized patients.

scholarly journals Getting Moving Together; a field experiment on workplace physical activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sanders ◽  
Karen Tindall ◽  
Alex Gyani ◽  
Susannah Hume ◽  
Min-Taec Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Baseline Activity ◽  
The Social

Importance: Wearable devices are widely used in an effort to increase physical activity and consequently to improve health. The evidence for this is patchy, and it does not appear that wearables alone are sufficient to achieve this end.Objective: To determine whether social comparisons in a workplace setting can increase the effectiveness of wearables at promoting physical activity.Design: A four week randomized controlled trial conducted in November 2015 with employees of a large firm. Participants were randomised to one of two treatment conditions (control vs social comparison) at team level, and teams are formed into ‘leagues’ based on their activity levels before the study. Impact is measured through wearable devices issued to all participants throughout the study duration.Setting: Offices of a large Australian employer.Participants: 646 employees of an Australian employer, issued with wearable activity trackers prior to the beginning of the study. Intervention(s) (for clinical trials) or Exposure(s) (for observational studies). Participants used a wearable device to track steps. Participants had been wearing these for at least four weeks at the outset of the trial, establishing a baseline level of activity. Teams (n=646, k=49), were randomly assigned to either control (k=24), or a social comparison (k=25) treatment. All participants took part in a step-count competition between their team and others at their employer, in which their team’s ranking within a mini-league of five teams, as well as their own activity was communicated each week. The control group had access to the usual features of the wearable, while the social comparison group received additional information about the performance of the other teams in their league, including how far behind and ahead their nearest rival teams were.Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Number of steps taken per day on average, measured by the wearable devices issued to all participants. Results: A total of 646 participants were included in the study. Compared to the control, participants in the social comparison group took significantly more steps per day during the trial period (an additional 620 steps, 8.2%, p<0.001). These effects are largest in both relative and absolute terms for people whose prior steps were in the bottom quartile of steps (an additional 948 steps, 40%, p<0.001), while the effect on people with highest levels of activity was a precisely estimated null (an additional 6 steps, 0.01%, p=0.98).Conclusions and Relevance: Social comparison increased the effectiveness of wearables at improving physical activity, particularly for those with the lowest baseline activity.

scholarly journals Barriers and Opportunities for Using Wearable Devices to Increase Physical Activity Among Veterans: Pilot Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca H Kim ◽  
Mitesh S Patel
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Wearable Device ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Potential Barriers ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities

BACKGROUND Few studies have examined the use of wearable devices among the veteran population. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate veterans’ perceptions of and experiences with wearable devices and identify the potential barriers and opportunities to using such devices to increase physical activity levels in this population. METHODS Veterans able to ambulate with or without assistance completed surveys about their mobile technology use and physical activity levels. They were then given the option of using a wearable device to monitor their activity levels. Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted after 2 months. RESULTS A total of 16 veterans were enrolled in this study, and all of them agreed to take home and use the wearable device to monitor their activity levels. At follow-up, 91% (10/11) veterans were still using the device daily. Veterans identified both opportunities and barriers for incorporating these devices into interventions to increase physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Veterans engaged in using wearable devices at high rates.

Comparisons of physical activity and sedentary behavior between owners and non-owners of commercial wearable devices

2021 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-96
Author(s):  
Hsin-Yen Yen ◽  
Hao-Yun Huang
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Wearable Device ◽  
World Health ◽  
World Health Organization Quality ◽  
Quality Of Life Scale

Aims: Wearable devices are a new strategy for promoting physical activity in a free-living condition that utilizes self-monitoring, self-awareness, and self-determination. The main purpose of this study was to explore health benefits of commercial wearable devices by comparing physical activity, sedentary time, sleep quality, and other health outcomes between individuals who used and those that did not use commercial wearable devices. Methods: The research design was a cross-sectional study using an Internet survey in Taiwan. Self-administered questionnaires included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile, and World Health Organization Quality-of-Life Scale. Results: In total, 781 participants were recruited, including 50% who were users of wearable devices and 50% non-users in the most recent 3 months. Primary outcomes revealed that wearable device users had significantly higher self-reported walking, moderate physical activity, and total physical activity, and significantly lower sedentary time than non-users. Wearable device users had significantly better sleep quality than non-users. Conclusion: Wearable devices inspire users’ motivation, engagement, and interest in physical activity through habit formation. Wearable devices are recommended to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior for promoting good health.

scholarly journals Impact of a Wearable Device-Based Walking Programs in Rural Older Adults on Physical Activity and Health Outcomes: Cohort Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Il-Young Jang ◽  
Hae Reong Kim ◽  
Eunju Lee ◽  
Hee-Won Jung ◽  
Hyelim Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Wearable Device ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

BACKGROUND Community-dwelling older adults living in rural areas are in a less favorable environment for health care compared with urban older adults. We believe that intermittent coaching through wearable devices can help optimize health care for older adults in medically limited environments. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate whether a wearable device and mobile-based intermittent coaching or self-management could increase physical activity and health outcomes of small groups of older adults in rural areas. METHODS To address the above evaluation goal, we carried out the “Smart Walk” program, a health care model wherein a wearable device is used to promote self-exercise particularly among community-dwelling older adults managed by a community health center. We randomly selected older adults who had enrolled in a population-based, prospective cohort study of aging, the Aging Study of Pyeongchang Rural Area. The “Smart Walk” program was a 13-month program conducted from March 2017 to March 2018 and included 6 months of coaching, 1 month of rest, and 6 months of self-management. We evaluated differences in physical activity and health outcomes according to frailty status and conducted pre- and postanalyses of the Smart Walk program. We also performed intergroup analysis according to adherence of wearable devices. RESULTS We recruited 22 participants (11 robust and 11 prefrail older adults). The two groups were similar in most of the variables, except for age, frailty index, and Short Physical Performance Battery score associated with frailty criteria. After a 6-month coaching program, the prefrail group showed significant improvement in usual gait speed (mean 0.73 [SD 0.11] vs mean 0.96 [SD 0.27], P=.02), International Physical Activity Questionnaire scores in kcal (mean 2790.36 [SD 2224.62] vs mean 7589.72 [SD 4452.52], P=.01), and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions score (mean 0.84 [SD 0.07] vs mean 0.90 [SD 0.07], P=.02), although no significant improvement was found in the robust group. The average total step count was significantly different and was approximately four times higher in the coaching period than in the self-management period (5,584,295.83 vs 1,289,084.66, P<.001). We found that participants in the “long-self” group who used the wearable device for the longest time showed increased body weight and body mass index by mean 0.65 (SD 1.317) and mean 0.097 (SD 0.513), respectively, compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS Our “Smart Walk” program improved physical fitness, anthropometric measurements, and geriatric assessment categories in a small group of older adults in rural areas with limited resources for monitoring. Further validation through various rural public health centers and in a large number of rural older adults is required.

scholarly journals Where are Children Active and Does it Matter for Physical Activity? A Latent Transition Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1294-1300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Colabianchi ◽  
Jamie L. Griffin ◽  
Kerry L. McIver ◽  
Marsha Dowda ◽  
Russell R. Pate
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Latent Transition Analysis ◽  
Latent Classes ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Transition Analysis ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Latent Transition ◽  
Over Time

Background:Numerous studies have focused on the role of environments in promoting physical activity, but few studies have examined the specific locations where children are active and whether being active in these locations is associated with physical activity levels over time.Methods:Self-reported locations of where physical activity occurred and physical activity measured via accelerometry were obtained for a cohort of 520 children in 5th and 6th grades. Latent class analysis was used to generate classes of children defined by the variety of locations where they were active (ie, home, school grounds, gyms, recreational centers, parks or playgrounds, neighborhood, and church). Latent transition analyses were used to characterize how these latent classes change over time and to determine whether the latent transitions were associated with changes in physical activity levels.Results:Two latent classes were identified at baseline with the majority of children in the class labeled as ‘limited variety.’ Most children maintained their latent status over time. Physical activity levels declined for all groups, but significantly less so for children who maintained their membership in the ‘greater variety’ latent status.Conclusions:Supporting and encouraging physical activity in a variety of locations may improve physical activity levels in children.

scholarly journals Wearable-Based Mobile Health App in Gastric Cancer Patients for Postoperative Physical Activity Monitoring: Focus Group Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Ming Wu ◽  
Te-Wei Ho ◽  
Yao-Ting Chang ◽  
ChungChieh Hsu ◽  
Chia Jui Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Early Discharge ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Wearable Device ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Physical Activity Monitoring

BACKGROUND Surgical cancer patients often have deteriorated physical activity (PA), which in turn, contributes to poor outcomes and early recurrence of cancer. Mobile health (mHealth) platforms are progressively used for monitoring clinical conditions in medical subjects. Despite prevalent enthusiasm for the use of mHealth, limited studies have applied these platforms to surgical patients who are in much need of care because of acutely significant loss of physical function during the postoperative period. OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to determine the feasibility and clinical value of using 1 wearable device connected with the mHealth platform to record PA among patients with gastric cancer (GC) who had undergone gastrectomy. METHODS We enrolled surgical GC patients during their inpatient stay and trained them to use the app and wearable device, enabling them to automatically monitor their walking steps. The patients continued to transmit data until postoperative day 28. The primary aim of this study was to validate the feasibility of this system, which was defined as the proportion of participants using each element of the system (wearing the device and uploading step counts) for at least 70% of the 28-day study. “Definitely feasible,” “possibly feasible,” and “not feasible” were defined as ≥70%, 50%-69%, and <50% of participants meeting the criteria, respectively. Moreover, the secondary aim was to evaluate the clinical value of measuring walking steps by examining whether they were associated with early discharge (length of hospital stay <9 days). RESULTS We enrolled 43 GC inpatients for the analysis. The weekly submission rate at the first, second, third, and fourth week was 100%, 93%, 91%, and 86%, respectively. The overall daily submission rate was 95.5% (1150 days, with 43 subjects submitting data for 28 days). These data showed that this system met the definition of “definitely feasible.” Of the 54 missed transmission days, 6 occurred in week 2, 12 occurred in week 3, and 36 occurred in week 4. The primary reason for not sending data was that patients or caregivers forgot to charge the wearable devices (>90%). Furthermore, we used a multivariable-adjusted model to predict early discharge, which demonstrated that every 1000-step increment of walking on postoperative day 5 was associated with early discharge (odds ratio 2.72, 95% CI 1.17-6.32; P=.02). CONCLUSIONS Incorporating the use of mobile phone apps with wearable devices to record PA in patients of postoperative GC was feasible in patients undergoing gastrectomy in this study. With the support of the mHealth platform, this app offers seamless tracing of patients’ recovery with a little extra burden and turns subjective PA into an objective, measurable parameter.

scholarly journals Exploring the Association Between Electronic Wearable Device Use and Levels of Physical Activity Among Individuals With Depression and Anxiety: A Population Level Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Onyeaka ◽  
Joe Firth ◽  
Valentine Enemuo ◽  
Chioma Muoghalu ◽  
John Naslund ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional

Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional association between self-reported use of electronic wearable devices (EWDs) and the levels of physical activity among a representative sample of adults with depression and anxiety in the United States.Methods: For this cross-sectional study, data were pooled from the Health Information National Trends Survey 2019. A sample of 1,139 adults with self-reported depression and anxiety (60.9% women; mean age of 52.5 years) was analyzed. The levels of physical activity and prevalence of EWD utilization were self-reported. The chi-square tests were used to compare individual characteristics through the use of EWDs. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to investigate the association between EWDs and physical activity levels while adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors.Results: From the 1,139 adults with self-reported depression and anxiety, 261 (weighted percentage 28.1%) endorsed using EWD in the last year. After adjusting for covariates, the use of EWDs was only significantly associated with a higher odds of reporting intention to lose weight (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.04, 4.35; p = 0.04). We found no association between the use of EWDs and meeting the national weekly recommendation for physical activity or resistance/strength exercise training.Conclusion: About three in 10 adults suffering from depression and anxiety in the United States reported using EWDs in the last year. The current study findings indicate that among people living with mental illness, EWD use is associated with higher odds of weight loss intent suggesting that EWDs may serve as an opening for the clinical interactions around physical health through identifying patients primed for behavior change. Further large-scale studies using randomized trial designs are needed to examine the causal relationships between EWDs and the physical activity of people with mental health conditions.

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